10 Best National Parks & Monuments in Arizona to Visit

Monument Valley landscape with multiple red sandstone buttes and mesas rising from desert floor — Monument Valley is among the many stunning parks and monuments in Arizona.

Arizona’s nickname is the Grand Canyon State, and that namesake national park draws almost 5 million visitors a year and ranks as one of the most popular in the country. But the canyon is only one of many natural wonders—and only one of 24 national parks, monuments, and historic sites—in this Southwest state. And some of the most spectacular landscapes remain blissfully uncrowded. In fact, with its protected petrified forests, stunning rock formations, volcanic cinder cones, saguaro-studded deserts, and ancient cliff dwellings, Arizona is a spectacularly diverse place to visit—especially by road trip.

Here’s a guide to 10 of Arizona’s best national parks and monuments beyond the Grand Canyon.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Ancient pueblo adobe structure built into alcove beneath layered sandstone cliffs with horizontal lines of red and orange rock — Mummy Cave, the largest ancient Puebloan village preserved in Canyon de Chelly, is carved into the cliffside.

Why go: For five millennia of Indigenous heritage
Nearest city: Holbrook, Arizona, and Gallup, New Mexico
Where to stay: The Tavern Hotel was built in 1925 as a grocery store; today it’s a boutique inn with 42 rooms, five private cottages, and a penthouse suite.

First settled by the Ancestral Puebloans around 2,500 B.C.E., Canyon de Chelly has sheltered Indigenous peoples for nearly 5,000 years. This labyrinth of three narrow canyons in northeastern Arizona contains more than 800 ancient archaeological sites and remains deeply sacred to the Navajo and other tribes. Navajo families still farm and spend time here today.

Established as a national monument in 1931, Canyon de Chelly National Monument is unusual because it is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) but located entirely within the Navajo tribal homeland. Visitors aren’t permitted to enter the canyon unaccompanied, but self-guided driving tours are available along the north and south rims. On these drives, you can stop at overlooks to peer down at historic sites such as Mummy Cave, which is carved into the sheer cliff, and Antelope House, standing at the base of the canyon walls.

You can see many of Canyon de Chelly’s top attractions from the rim roads, but you’ll get a deeper understanding of its significance on a Jeep or horseback tour with a Navajo guide. Half- and full-day tours traverse the rough river bottom and bring you close to ancient ruins, caves, and petroglyphs.

Chiricahua National Monument

Why go: To explore a magical landscape of sculpted rock
Nearest city: Tucson, Arizona
Where to stay: Try the luxurious dude ranch Tanque Verde Ranch.

Chiricahua National Monument’s two unofficial names, the Wonderland of Rocks and the Land of Standing Up Rocks, tell you all you need to know about this isolated southern Arizona hiking destination.

Twenty-seven million years ago, ash from a volcanic eruption created a Dr. Seuss–like landscape of sculpted pinnacles, mushroom-capped hoodoos, and precariously balanced rock towers with colorful names like Grottoes, Wall Street, and Big Balanced Rock. Popular trails include Echo Canyon, the Upper and Lower Ryolite canyons, and the Heart of Rocks Loop. And since all of this is located 120 miles southeast of Tucson in a remote corner of the state, you’re often likely to have the landscape to yourself.

Except for wildlife, that is. If you’re interested in wildlife viewing in the park, visit Bonita Creek Trail. This quieter hike promises potential sightings of deer, coatimundis, and an abundance of migrating birds. In the Faraway Ranch Historic District on the east side of the park, the restored, rough-log Stafford Cabin is open for tours on weekends and provides a fascinating—if daunting—view of pioneer life in this rugged territory.

Many visitors combine a trip here with a tasting tour of the Willcox wine region that, along with Sonoita and Verde Valley, is producing some of the most interesting wines in the U.S. right now.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Distant view of ancient cliff dwelling built into rocky alcove, with green trees in foreground — The area around Montezuma Castle National Monument is a popular bird-watching location.

Why go: To see one of the continent’s largest, best-preserved cliff dwellings
Nearest city: Phoenix, Arizona
Where to stay: Formerly a 1920s-era winter home, Royal Palms Resort and Spa has 119 Spanish colonial–style rooms and 6 private villas.

In 1906, following the passage of the Antiquities Act, President Theodore Roosevelt created the first four national monuments. One was Montezuma Castle National Monument. It is considered one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America. Carved into a cliff 1,500 feet above the ground and featuring more than 20 rooms constructed in multiple stories, it’s a remarkably sophisticated example of Sinaguan architecture.

Today, a short trail takes you to a viewing spot below the ruins, and museum exhibits help you imagine what life was like in this unforgiving desert landscape.

Conveniently located just off Highway 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix, Montezuma Castle National Monument also incorporates nearby Montezuma Well. The spring-fed travertine (a type of limestone) pool is uncommon in the area, and once provided precious water for Sinaguan communities. Here, you can see humbler dwellings and the remains of an irrigation system, parts of which still irrigate local farmers’ fields. A shady trail through the oasis is a popular place for bird-watching; the NPS rangers lead guided bird walks twice a month.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Why go: To see Hollywood’s most iconic western backdrop
Nearest city: Monument Valley is within Navajo Nation; Flagstaff, Arizona, is a four-hour drive south
Where to stay: The View Hotel is the only hotel within Monument Valley; there is also a collection of cabins and a campsite.

There’s no landscape in the United States associated with the Wild West as much as Monument Valley. It’s both supremely foreign and eerily familiar. John Wayne rode out from between the park’s famous red rock buttes, the Mittens, in Stagecoach and The Searchers; Michael J. Fox—as Marty McFly—zoomed past them in a time-traveling car; the Transformers crashed through them; and Thelma and Louise even ran out the final leg of their journey here.

Despite its Hollywood fame, Monument Valley drew just 525,000 visitors in 2024—a tenth of Grand Canyon’s crowds. Like Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley is on Navajo tribal land and still inhabited by families who have lived here for centuries, but this park is entirely administered by the Navajo Nation. You’ll need to hire a Jeep or high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle to experience everything the park has to offer; go with a Navajo or Hopi guide to learn the cultural context for the Ancestral Puebloan cliff paintings, remote sandstone arches, and window rocks. Time your visit to experience both sunset and sunrise here and you’ll take some of the most vivid photos of your life.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Organ pipe cacti and yellow wildflowers in a desert landscape at sunset, with distant mountains in background — Near Tucson, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is an excellent place to see wildflowers and birds native to the Arizonan deserts among the cactus.

Why go: To witness the desert’s thriving plant life
Nearest city: Tucson, Arizona
Where to stay: The 25-room Sonoran Desert Inn is a former 1940s elementary school in Ajo; it is 15 minutes from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a particularly fine showcase of thousands of years of desert life with its massive cacti and variety of birds. The best time to visit is during the wildflower bloom in the spring. Alternatively, the mild winter months are perfect for hiking.

You can also experience this area on horseback on one of the area’s designated trails (there are additional rules if you bring your own horse). If you’re looking for a scenic, short road trip, the 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive winds through desert expanses and into the Ajo Mountains. You’ll spot many cacti along the way, from saguaros and cholla to the iconic organ pipe cacti.

Hikers and mountain bikers—who are allowed on all trails—have plenty of options here too. For a bit of a challenge, check out the Estes Canyon/Bull Pasture Loop in the Ajo Mountains. This 4.4-mile trip tackles an elevation of 865 feet while bringing hikers up a steep spur trail to Bull Pasture, where ranchers used to house cattle. You’ll be rewarded with beautiful views of Mount Ajo after your climb.

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified wood logs scattered across pastel-colored desert landscape, with full moon rising at twilight — At Petrified Forest National Park, the slow process of fossilization transformed ancient trees into solid quartz.

Why go: To touch 225-million-year-old fossilized trees
Nearest city: Holbrook, Arizona
Where to stay : La Posada in Winslow opened in 1930 for railroad travelers; the hotel’s on-site restaurant serves Southwestern cuisine in the original dining hall.

Most visitors to Petrified Forest National Park (more than half a million each year) come to see the ancient tree trunks, which are preserved by minerals they absorbed after being submerged in a riverbed nearly 200 million years ago. And they’re quite a sight: Over time, the huge logs turned to solid, sparkling quartz in a rainbow of colors—the yellow of citrine, the purple of amethyst, the red-brown of jasper.

But while its name gives away Petrified Forest National Park’s main attraction, the fossils are only part of the story. This mineral-tinted landscape also has painted deserts and striated canyons. Don’t neglect the pastel-hued badlands of Blue Mesa, where a paved hiking trail loops around the blue-white rock. The nearest city, Holbrook, is on Old Route 66, and has very different kinds of monuments to ogle at: 14 concrete dinosaur statues along the route to the Petrified Forest and the tepees of the Wigwam Motel.

Saguaro National Park

Desert landscape with tall saguaro cacti, prickly pear, and shrubs, with rocky hills in distance — The iconic, long-armed cacti at Saguaro National Park only grow in the Sonoran desert.

Why go: To see the tallest and oldest saguaro cacti in the U.S.
Nearest city: Tucson, Arizona
Where to stay: The JTH Tucson is a small inn with seven suites, a canyon pool, and hot springs–style hot tub.

Recognized worldwide as a symbol of the desert, the majestic saguaro can live as long as 200 years and reach heights of 50 feet, growing so slowly that a 10-year-old plant might be just two inches high. These ancient survivors only appear naturally in the Sonoran Desert—which stretches across the southwestern United States—and thrive in their eponymous park.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two segments, one on either side of Tucson. On the west side, in the Tucson Mountain District, you’ll find the densest stands of saguaro and sweeping views from the Valley View Overlook Trail. The Rincon Mountain District, on the east side, features the park’s popular Cactus Forest Loop drive.

One of the most popular times to visit Saguaro National Park is late spring into early summer, when the saguaro bloom with enormous waxy white flowers (the Arizona state symbol). But hikers love the park year-round. Take the Freeman Homestead Trail into a desert wash to try to spot great horned owls nesting in the cliff above. In spring, hike the Hope Camp and Ridgeview Trail for some of the park’s most vivid wildflower displays.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Weathered dead tree with twisted branches on ground, surrounded by pine trees and desert vegetation — At Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, you can hike over lava flow and cinder fields.

Why go: To hike up a volcano cinder cone and traverse a lava flow
Nearest city: Flagstaff, Arizona
Where to stay: Spacious rooms at Little America Hotel enjoy views of the surrounding 500-acre ponderosa pine forest.

You don’t have to go to Hawai‘i to experience the excitement of climbing a volcano. The dramatic jet-black lava flows and towering cinder cones of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, half an hour north of Flagstaff, are the remnants of an active volcano that last erupted 1,000 years ago—not far back in geologic time.

To see the full spectrum of volcanic activity at the monument, start off hiking the Lava’s Edge Trail through the jagged coal-colored basalt of the Bonito lava flow, then continue on to the Lava Flow Trail, which hugs the base of the volcano below cinder fields that sparkle in the sun. It’s not possible to climb to the top of Sunset Crater—it’s been closed since 1973 to protect it from erosion—but a one-mile trail up 7,250-foot Lenox Crater provides scenic views of Sunset Crater and the surrounding Bonito lava flow.

Tonto National Monument

Why go: For ancient cliff dwellings and uncrowded trails
Nearest city: Scottsdale, Arizona
Where to stay: Try the Phoenician, with its mother-of-pearl tiled pools and marble-clad spa beside Camelback Mountain.

Seven centuries ago, the area we currently call Tonto National Monument was a blend of neighboring Native American communities: the White Mountain, Chiricahua, and Tonto Apaches, Yavapais, and Pima-Maricopas tribes. Today, you can see two prehistoric cave dwellings (the Lower and the Upper cliff dwellings) and many artifacts from those who originally lived there. Pottery, textiles, and architecture from local tribes and those passing through have been dated between 1250 and 1450 C.E. There’s no official proof that this was a trading post, but the artifacts do give a memorable look at the people and cultures that lived in this desert region.

The Upper Cliff Dwelling Trail is only accessible by guided tours of no more than six people, offered from November through April. These tours are limited to help control foot traffic, so you must make a reservation by calling 928-467-2241. It is recommended you book two to three months before a requested tour date, and keep in mind that tours fill up quickly.

The Lower Cliff Dwelling Trail is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (no reservations needed). It’s best to visit this area early on a weekday so you don’t run into any congestion—the trail often hits capacity, resulting in wait times.

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Stone ruins of small ancient dwelling under natural rock overhang, with crumbling masonry walls — Walnut Canyon National Monument is one of the few protected pueblo sites where visitors are still allowed to enter the ruins and peer through their windows.

Why go: For rare access to 13th-century pueblos
Nearest city: Flagstaff, Arizona
Where to stay: The High Country Motor Lodge has a Nordic spa, featuring private saunas, an outdoor pool, and a relaxation lounge.

As you descend the long, steep stairway from the visitor center into Walnut Canyon National Monument, the windows and doors of ancient dwellings tucked between uneven rock layers quickly begin to come into view. These were the homes of the Sinagua people, hollowed out of the softer rock layers and walled in with simple masonry. The result was a natural fortress, reachable only by narrow trails that snaked along ledges in the cliffs.

The ruins, which date back to the 13th century, are 10 minutes from downtown Flagstaff and are still open to the public, unlike those in many other national parks and monuments. From the foot of the stairs, follow the trail to one of the simple pueblos and step inside; through the window you can see into the neighboring homes all the way across the chasm. Look down, and hundreds of feet below is Walnut Creek, from which the residents would have sourced their water.

This article was originally published in 2019 and most recently updated on February 3, 2026, with current information. Erika Owens contributed to the reporting of this story.

Melanie Haiken

San Francisco–based journalist Melanie Haiken writes about travel, science, health, and the environment. She’s written for National Geographic and the BBC. You can find more of her writing at melaniehaiken.com.